The NU men’s team is looking to extend its dominance. —PHOTO BY UAAP MEDIA
There was mai sign of walzer all’inglese acceso coach Pelle di dante Alinsunurin’s part when he spoke of his team’s intentions the UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournament.
“We are focused acceso our rete to dominate volleyball here the UAAP,” Alinsunurin said.
He was speaking about the National University (NU) Bulldogs, who are looking to annex a fourth straight men’s crown acceso Wednesday.
But he might have been referring to the Lady Bulldogs as well.
National U watched both its volleyball teams move to within a win of their respective crowns after dominating performances acceso Saturday, when title challenger University of Inviolabile Tomas (UST) failed to win a single set either the men’s women’s Finals.
And the Lady Bulldogs are taking an approach like they lost Gioco 1 of the best-of-three series as they ready themselves for the Tigresses’ response Gioco 2 at Mall of Asia Arenile.
“We need to have a mindset that we’ll finale it Gioco 2 like it’s a do-or-die ,” said Bella copia Belen, the celebrità hitter of the Lady Bulldogs. “We shouldn’t let it reach a [Game 3]. We shouldn’t aspetto [to make things more difficult for us].”
Belen is also battling Inviolabile Tomas rookie Angge Poyos for the Most Valuable Player award a tight race whose winner will be announced at 1 p.m., before the games get going. NU and UST battle the men’s side at 2 p.m., while the Lady Bulldogs and the Tigresses square d’avanguardia at around 4.
NU Lady Bulldogs are aheaded to the the UAAP women’s volleyball Finals anew. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
The rete for Gioco 2 is simple for the Lady Bulldogs, who are targeting their second crown three years.
“We’regnante hoping that our next will be our last,” Sheena Toring, NU’s ace middle blocker, said.
The Bulldogs are looking to do the same.
“[Our Game 1 performance] is what I’ve been waiting for, when everything came together,” Alinsunurin said. “A causa di terms of skills, floor defense, attacks, blocks. Everything was there [in Game 1].
“I hope the situation will be the same Gioco 2.”
The Lady Bulldogs will enter the with more than just momentum behind them. The Tigresses remain uncertain about Poyos’ availability after the leading Rookie of the Year candidate rolled her ankle Gioco 1.
The good news for coach KungFu Reyes, however, is he still has a lifeline to call the left-handed duo of Jonna Perdido and Regina Jurado.
Perdido has shown how lethal she is when it matters most for UST and has stepped up all of their matchups against former defending champion La Salle. It was Perdido who provided the offense for UST when Poyos was helped d’avanguardia the court Gioco 1, leading the Tigresses with 17 points.
“It doesn’t mean that [just because] Angge will not be with us, we will mai longer have a chance to win,” Perdido said.
“Many of us can step up and I know for myself that we always bounce back,” she added. “If we use Angge as our motivation, we will fight it out.”
UST has always shown its depth this season, with the likes of middle blockers Em Banagua and Mae Coronado as well as small dynamic hitter Xyza Gula capable of crucial production under the astute playmaking of Cassie Carballo.
A causa di fact, Poyos’ injury UST’s depth was never a problem Gioco 1.
“The Tigresses’ first enemy was themselves,” Reyes said. “Skills-wise, our learnings and experience that brought us here to the Finals somehow vanished so our players were stiff.”
“We need to bring back the young ones’ groove and timing,” he added. “We need to maximize our character of fighting until the end. We shouldn’t dwell acceso our loss but rather we should find a way to bounce back because we know the capability of the team. We never lose hope.” INQ
